


A Coop in Twin Peaks

by mermaiddragon



Category: Twin Peaks
Genre: Twin Peaks Season/Series 03 Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-14 22:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11217537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaiddragon/pseuds/mermaiddragon
Summary: After episod 5 or 6 of season 3, Albert finds Dale. Cooper doesn't look like himself and yet, Albert's certain that's the man he's loved so much 25 years ago. They end up in Twin Peaks, seeking Harry Truman.





	1. A Norleco B2000

**Author's Note:**

> I got bored in a waiting room at an hospital so naturally I ended up writing something about Twin Peaks. It's supposed to be happy at some point.

Albert is certain of it. This was not Cooper. That man had looked like Cooper but he did not sound as chipper as Cooper, did not do thumbs-up like Cooper, did not dress like Cooper, did not stood like Cooper. Everything about him was wrong even though all evidence seemed to claim he was Dale Cooper.

 

But throughout his FBI career Albert had learned to look past evidences. Knowing something like code Blue Rose existed was enough to question every bit of rational evidence. And right now he wanted very bad to question it. Because it was either something Blue Rose related or Cooper had gone mad and was lost to them. Or Cooper had never existed and was a facade for the weird man in front of them. And that was just too painful. So it had to be some mystery to unravel. Mysteries were good. You applied a method, whether a rational one or a Cooper one or several ones, and you turned the mystery into facts and explanations. And Albert badly needed some facts and explanations about Cooper disappearance and his lookalike.

 

There was a point in his life where he could have sworn he knew Cooper better than anyone. But he was not so sure anymore and he had to admit that the expert was Diane. She had been Coop’s secretary for years, privy to his every thoughts through these damned tapes. So now he had to brave the rain and the temperature - the things he did for Dale -  go to some bar - so many people - and pick up Diane so she could ask _that man_ about the color of his socks when he was 6 or something.

The good thing about Dale Cooper was that if someone impersonating him claimed he did not remember the model of his first tape recorder you could be certain that was not Dale Cooper.

Anyone laughing and saying “I was far too young to pay attention to that !” had never even _met_ Dale Cooper. Yet Diane persisted. She asked question after question, recording the answers, not letting the man know he was wrong every single time. After the interview she gave Gordon, Albert and Tammy a list of the right answers with timings and the date of tapes. Headquarters confirmed her memories. Dale Cooper first recorder was a Norleco B2000. The first girl he kissed was Marie Bradley. The pie he ate before entering Twin Peaks was a cherry pie.


	2. Call for help

They found Cooper at Centenial Hills hospital in Nevada. He had passed out on the highroad, dehydrated, suffering a sunstroke. Since he was unconscious and had no identification on him they registered him as John Doe. For 25 years, Albert had received a picture for every John Doe turning up at every hospital in the whole country. He had seen lots of ugly faces. 

But this time that one looked like Cooper. His haircut wasn’t a long absurdity no Dale Cooper would wear. His face wasn’t tanned like the lookalike. He looked like a slightly aged version of the Cooper who had disappeared all these years ago. So Albert called the hospital, told them to wait for him if their John Doe woke up and flew to Los Angeles.

When he arrived, the man that looked like Dale was awake. The medical staff told him he barely spoke but had informed them his name was Dougie Jones and had answered “call for help” when they asked him who they could call. None of that made sense but things had stopped making sense 25 years ago. 

 

Up close, the second Dale Cooper lookalike seemed even more to be Dale Cooper. But he didn’t sound like Coop. He wasn’t chipper, enthusiastic, marvelling, energetic. He was blinking and lost, curious - that one made sense - grasped at Albert’s words like they reminded of things long forgotten that he couldn’t quite place. 

Albert spent days observing that Cooper. He brought in Diane and Gordon and they didn’t know what to say. He brought in Tammy and she didn’t know either. None of them could say with certainty that this wasn’t Cooper. None of them could say that it was. 

After a few days of medical observation Albert’s diagnosis was that this was a broken man. He was better at diagnosing corpses anyway. 

But still, that Dale Cooper wasn’t pretending to be anyone, he was broken and lost. Like a man who’d woke up after a long coma, a man who had spent years in a cell or a cult or both. He was strongly convinced that this was Dale Cooper, what was left of him anyway. It was a feeling supported by no tangible evidence but it was stronger than anything.

 

So he reminded the Bureau that he had several days of vacation due, signed hospital papers, phoned Gordon, helped Dale put on the suit he had been found wearing -the model of suit he had favoured - and helped him seat in his car. You had to direct him by pushing him or showing him where to go very clearly. It wasn’t even like ordering around a cat or dog that could decide to nap or wander somewhere. If you forgot to lead him, Cooper just stopped in his tracks. 


	3. How many Trumans ?

At first they drove a bit aimlessly. Albert did not want to take Cooper to Washington. Too many people, too much noise, too many places he could lose him in. Besides his flat was too small for two people.

 

What Cooper needed, as much as it pained Albert to admit it, was fresh air, trees and a small town. Somehow that ended up meaning going back to Twin Peaks. Where everything had started and ended. 

Cooper smiled at the trees, whether he remembered them or just was still a huge dork that loved trees. Because that was exactly what Albert deserved, a huge dork that loved trees. Cooper loved the pie at that place he had recommended him all these years ago, the Lamplight Inn. And the coffee, also, God did he love coffee. He still didn’t talk much but he sure smiled a lot. Dale Cooper had spent days re-learning how to use toilets, didn’t seem to know how to form sentences nor whether he was allowed to go here and there but still, he smiled like he had never been happier. That was such a Dale Cooper thing to do. 

His smile was at his brightest when Albert let him wear the FBI badge. He would say “badge” and “suit” and smile like a child at Christmas. Maybe once Cooper had been a child at Christmas wearing a fake FBI badge and a small suit. The idea almost made Albert smile. Him, Albert Rosenfield, smiling ! Only Dale had known how to make him smile. How to make him forget the world’s rot and the stupidity of people.

 

Upon entering Twin Peaks, Albert realised they didn’t have a place to stay. There was no way they were going to The Great Northern Hotel, Dale had been shot there ! For all he knew - and all he cared - the place might have changed hands, upgraded their security or been entirely rebuilt but there still was no way he was taking Coop there. So he drove to the police station, left Dale in the car, told him he’d be right back and entered the station. It hadn’t changed one bit. The receptionist had aged, though. But who hadn’t ? She still had the same squealy voice and ridiculous sweaters. What was her name again ? Lily ? Fanny ? 

 

-Agent Rosenfield ! 

 

She opened eyes as big as saucers and gasped a little. God. People. A police officer entered the hall, probably having heard her and asked :

 

-What’s going on Lucy ? You okay ?

 

Yeah, right, Lucy, that was her name. No idea what was the name of the sheriff deputy, though. But he was the one who knocked himself on a plank he walked on. 

 

-Yes, that’s me, Agent Rosenfield. Tell Sheriff Truman I need to see him.

-Which one, sir ?

-What do you mean, which one ? How many Harry Truman do you have ? 

 

Was this some sort of epidemic, everyone involved in the Twin Peaks case having a lookalike roaming around ? Did he have one ? 

 

-We only have one Harry Truman, but we have two Sheriff Truman, sir. They’re brothers.

-Fine. Where can I find Harry ? The one I worked with ? 

-He’s at home, sir.

-What’s the address ? 


	4. Earth tones

What kind of town replaced their sheriff with his own brother ? Was this the Roman Empire ? Would Twin Peaks being a remnant of the Roman Empire explain anything ? 

No, no it wouldn’t. You couldn’t explain Twin Peaks. How were they both sheriff, anyway ? Or maybe, that Lucy girl was just calling him “sheriff” out of habit. 

 

They parked in front of a modest house so surrounded by trees it was practically in the middle of the woods.

Cooper got out of the car on his own - which was a first - and smiled at the trees. And then at Albert. Both the trees and Albert were doomed but Albert had known it for a long time. That stupid bright smile was the reason he wore sunglasses. He probably was the reason every agent in the FBI wore sunglasses even though it was not officially part of the uniform : everyone was trying to not fall in love with that blinding smile. The first time he had seen Dale smile had been enough for Albert to fall head over heels. It did not help that Coop was also handsome and incredibly cute. 

After a few seconds smiling at each other - or was it longer ? - they looked at their surroundings. Truman’s house was a dump. It could have been decent if the grass hadn’t been dry, if the car in the driveway wasn’t old and rusty, the porch dirty and creaky. It looked abandoned, to be honest. 

 

-Call for help, stated Coop.

-What ? 

 

He hadn’t said these words since that first day at the hospital, and Albert had thought his presence answered Dale’s call. Why was he saying that again ? 

 

-Are you okay, Coop ? Do you need something ? Do you… Is that place… bothering you ? 

 

Dale looked at him, a long deep intense look. And smiled. And pointed at himself.

 

-Okay. 

 

He nodded, detached his eyes from Albert, looked at the house. And again :

 

-Call for help.

-Are you saying… that this is a call for help from Harry ?

-Harry, Cooper repeated.

 

Dale Cooper was somewhere in there. Somewhere deep under these half-sentences, lone words and all kinds of smiles. Sometimes, he reminded Albert that his mind was still there, behind the clouds, still working as before but hidden. 

They made their way inside, arms linked so Dale would follow. The living room and kitchen area looked a bit more lived in. It slightly smelled of coffee, there was a basket of clean laundry on the couch, plates in the sink. It looked recently abandoned whereas the front yard looked as if it’d been abandoned years ago.

 

-Call for help, Coop reminded Albert.

 

They went upstairs. There was a clean bathroom with a recently used toothbrush, a small empty bedroom and the master bedroom. There, Harry S Truman lied sound asleep in his bed. He was wearing ridiculous plaid pajamas, his curls were a bit greyer than before but he was still gorgeous. In that moment, Albert Rosenfield realised his type was gorgeous guys who could wear muted earth tones and make it work. There were probably only two people in the whole world able to do that and they were both in this room, in the middle of nowhere. One was sound asleep, the other just standing there and it then occurred to him that they were both ill. He had no idea what was wrong with Harry and didn’t have a clue about Dale’s impediment but they were both not okay. Again, he was better at diagnosing corpses. 

He motioned for Coop to sit in the armchair under the window and left the room. What he was about to do wouldn’t be easy and he needed a breath of fresh air by himself before he started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Albert is a pacifist but for Dale he would find a way to punch a place in the face if it was bothering him.
> 
> That's it for today ! Four chapters in a day, hahaha. I really thought I would be done by tonight but... no. Cuteness and fluff ahead, if I stop writing stuff that makes me want to tore my own heart.


	5. Albert's path is a strange and difficult one

Albert Rosenfield was a medical examiner for the federal bureau of investigation. It was a nice job that paid enough, allowed him to travel, to help catch criminals without fighting, to practice medicine without interacting with living people. He was a medical examiner and not a nurse, a housekeep nor a babysitter. 

There was absolutely no reason he should be vacuuming someone else’s house, while trying to hear whether that someone was waking up, while keeping an eye on some guy whose mind was wandering in dreamland. Yet that was exactly what he was doing. 

He tried to think like Coop would. Which meant, like Coop was bound to think again in the near future, not just like Coop used to think. So thinking this way… He was tidying up a place...that he was going to live in for a while - what a dump ! - while waiting for Harry to wake up… with Dale sitting on the couch. He liked it this way. It made it look like it was a normal, usual thing, living with Dale and Harry.

 

-There you go Nessie ! Back home, heh ? Eager to come back, weren’t ya ? 

 

A man and a yellow labrador had just entered the house. The man was small and burly, the dog was big and curious but quiet. Albert wondered how the man had not heard the vacuum nor seen them yet.

 

-Hum. Hello. 

-What ? What ! Who are you !

-I’m Albert Rosenfield and…

-My, if this isn’t Agent Cooper ! 

 

The man went directly to Cooper. He was about to shake his hand when he stopped.

 

-Agent Cooper ? Don’t you recognize me ? It’s me ! Pete Martell ! 

 

Coop smiled, pointed to himself and said : 

 

-Cooper.

 

Martell, since that was his name, turned to Albert : 

 

-What’s wrong with him ? 

-We don’t know for sure. That’s why we’re here. So he gets fresh air, the quietness of a small town… Time to recover. 

-So… are  ya going to take care of Sheriff Truman too ? 

 

As it turned out, half the town had been taking care of Harry for a long time now. Pete Martell was in charge of “the animals” which included Nessie, a labrador that had failed the eye-seeing dogs school. “Norma and Shelly from the diner” had been bringing Harry food. Lucy and Andy did laundry and housecleaning - no wonder it was in such a state. For some reason, Albert decided then and there that they did not need any help from anyone. Martell asked if he was certain and then if he didn’t want at least that he showed him “where everything was”. He only agreed because Coop repeated “everything”. 

 

So they spent half an hour opening cupboards in the whole house while Martell gave long unnecessary explanations, Coop repeated words and the dog silently followed. At least the beast was quiet. Somehow, Harry was still sleeping. Albert would have to check whether he was in a coma or something. But the town couldn’t be so primitive they wouldn’t monitor a man in a coma. Eventually, they were done with the last cupboard. Except that Martell stopped in front of the backdoor and instructed Nessie to sit. He lead Albert and Cooper outside. The back yard was… worse than the front yard. There was grass everywhere, outgrown grass.

 

-I know the grass is a bit long, but the chicks dig it, and you can’t really get a lawnmower, here, you’d have to coop them up !

 

What the hell was he talking about ? Abert wondered if there was something in Twin Peaks air and if it really was such a good idea to take Dale there. Martell led them through the grass, making weird noises and calling who knew what. 

 

-Vol-au-vent ! Croquembouche ! Come here girls ! Leopoldine ! Marzipan ! Don’t be afraid girls !

 

Soon enough, there were surrounded by an army of chicken. There was only one explanation for the small wooden building near the back wall : it was a coop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might not make no sense, I'm too tired to know. Let me know if it's unreadable or something.   
> But also : a coop. I had to.


	6. One day the sadness will end

Harry woke up to the smell of coffee. Which was weird. Usually it was Norma who made coffee, when she brought food in the evening. He didn’t sleep at night anyway, so he had taken the habit of having coffee after dinner. And if the sunlight was to be believed, this was morning or midmorning. The clock by his bed informed him it was actually noon. The door of his room creaked and Nessie entered. She jumped on the bed and nuzzled him. 

 

-Hey girl, he softly said, did you have a nice walk with Pete ? Did you lost him ?

 

That was weird too, usually Pete went to greet him after walking Nessie. Maybe it was really simple and he just wanted coffee when he got back. Harry spent a few minutes petting his dog - she made him so happy ! - before he heard footsteps in the stairs.

 

-Is that Pete, Nessie ? 

 

The man who entered his room was definitely not Pete Martell. He was practically bald, was wearing a deep blue suit and was holding two steaming mugs of coffee.

 

-Albert ! 

-Good morning, Harry. 

 

He put a mug on Harry’s bedside table and leant on the wall, near the window that looked on the back yard. He sipped on his own coffee, looking at him. For a brief moment, Harry wondered whether the past 25 years had been a dream and Albert at some point had moved in with him and had been bringing him coffee every morning since then.

 

-What are you doing there ? 

-I’m not really sure, frankly. Last time I set foot in this town I swore I wouldn’t be back. And yet, here I am. 

-What ? 

-Coop came back. He’s… He needs time. And quiet. 

-Cooper is back ?? 

-Found him in a hospital in Nevada. No idea where he was before they found him dehydrated on some desert road. 

-So… I didn’t kill Cooper ? 

-Are you on something ?

-What ? 

-What kind of sleeping pills are you taking ? Do you smoke ? Take mushrooms ? Something ?

-What ? No ! 

-Why would you think you killed him ??

-I let him go in… in there ! He said he had to do it by himself and I let him ! And I waited and waited and when he came back he was unconscious and when he woke up he was so cold and weird and he hurt his head on the mirror and he kept laughing like he didn’t feel pain and… and Coop was gone ! 

 

Albert stared at him. Harry wasn’t sure he had ever voiced these thoughts. It was too raw and painful. It had been gnawing at him for 25 years. He’d been guilt ridden for so long… So long that he hadn’t been able to do anything else but stop. Stop everything. Stop going to work, stop pretending he could understand anything, stop pretending he could protect anyone. He had failed to protect Dale Cooper, the purest human being on earth, and that was worse than anything. 

 

-So… It happened that day, then. It wasn’t something that happened during his disappearance, it was something that happened when he went  _ there _ … 

 

Albert was deep in thoughts and it felt a bit anticlimactic. Harry had expected… Well he didn’t know what exactly, but certainly not that he would start deducting things and send texts. Albert finished typing and pocketed his phone.

 

-You did not kill him, Harry. Whatever happened isn’t your fault. Coop is a grown man able to take his own wrong decisions. Knowing him, he probably was trying to protect you.

-Is he here ? 

-He’s feeding your chicken. And the ducks. I really shouldn’t be surprised you’d had so many animals. 

 

Harry stroke Nessie’s fur. 

 

-Will you stay a while ? 

-I intend to stay for as long as it take for you and Dale to get better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I keep writing sad chapters when I want them to be happy so much... Actually I know : we have to see the wounds to appreciate the healing.   
> But there's a dog ! and coffee ! and chicken ! and love ! I assure you there's love in there somewhere.


	7. What's up Doc ? Just a few words before I go to sleep

Falling into place takes them a while. They can’t just organize their lives around Harry because he’s incredibly confused about everything. He’s so awestruck to see Dale alive he forgets how to function. 

Actually he’s been forgetting how to function for a few years now, right after Twin Peaks’ most recent tragedy. But he forgets that he’s forgotten, he forgets how to not function, he doesn’t know anything anymore. 

Dale is alive and he barely speaks, he doesn’t seem to be really here but he still enjoys coffee. Harry watches him feeding the chickens and the ducks every day, pet Nessie, water the plants. 

Albert remembers reading a medical paper about therapy through taking care of animals and he thinks that in a sense that’s what Harry’s doing when he takes care of Dale taking care of the birds and dog. 

 

The first mornings, Albert makes coffee, followed by Dale while Harry sleeps. 

Until one day, he’s woken up by the sound of the coffee machine - he sleeps on the couch, Dale has the guest room - and finds Coop watching the coffee pot, every evidence of coffee making in front of him on the counter. He’s still not entirely here but he makes coffee every morning now, smiles like a goon every time he drinks it and once he mumbles “damn fine coffee”. 

 

The first evenings, Harry doesn’t want to go to bed, he’s watching tv and he’s bored but he doesn’t want to sleep because he’ll have to do it all again tomorrow, the self-loathing and the guilt and the panic in his throat and what if Dale disappear again tomorrow ? 

The first evenings, Albert tells him he’d like to sleep, thank you very much, because he can’t be arsed to take care of two grown men without sleeping. Harry retreats to his room but probably stares at his phone or reads books or something but he doesn’t sleep until he’s exhausted and his body gives up, and every time there’s hurt in his eyes. Albert can see the shoulders sagging, the head bowed, the fake polite smile. Harry’s hurt and he feels guilty about Albert taking care of them. 

So one night, he changes tactics. He checks on Coop, make sure he’s brushed his teeth, went to the toilets, found the way to his bed. Because this is what he has to do, now. Once he’s certain Dale’s about to fall asleep - it takes him less than five seconds each night, like a baby still amazed sleep exists - he goes downstairs and turns off the tv. He tells Harry about this study he read, that says lying down and closing your eyes is good for you, even if you can’t sleep at all and does Harry want to help Albert verify it ? Harry looks at him for a few long seconds - there’s amusement and relief and interest - and agrees. 

 

They go upstairs and Albert tells his heart to calm the fuck down, he’s only putting the second man of the night to bed, he’s just being a nurse to his friends, calm down stupid heart. Maybe he should be checked for arrhythmia because his heart is really idiotic. Harry looks at him again at the door of his bedroom and Albert doesn’t know what there is in his eyes this time because it’s dark. Still, he keeps him from turning on the lights and instructs him to get ready for bed, pretend he’s going to sleep. Harry does and Albert waits and feels stupid because what else is he supposed to feel like, standing around in his black suit while another man is putting on plaid pajamas in the bathroom ? 

Harry lies down, still looking at Albert in the dark, Albert still not knowing, and he sits in an old armchair that probably belonged to a grandmother who never heard about armchairs that have more fluff than springs. But he doesn’t say anything, keeping his string of curse words to himself. It helps that they’re in the dark and Harry can’t see his face. Why does being in the dark feel so intimate ? 

 

-Are you sure this works ? 

-I am not, that is why we’re verifying it. 

-Right. 

 

They fall silent. Albert waits for his eyes to accustom to the dark, for his heart to stop thinking he’s doing a race. 

 

-So I have to close my eyes ? 

-Are you not doing that ? 

-Can’t you see ?

-I… No. Close your eyes. 

 

He almost said he isn’t an owl but he’s pretty certain that’s not something he wants Harry to think about before falling asleep.

 

-Are you sure you have to watch me ?

-I have no evidence but I have a strong feeling that you’d spend time browsing the web on your phone if I didn’t watch you.

-You’re not wrong. 

They’re whispering. Harry’s voice is raspy and low and if Albert’s honest, it is extremely sexy. They stay quiet for a longest while this time. Harry’s breathing is slowing. 

 

-Albert ? 

-Yeah ? 

 

Harry whispering his name is even sexier, he notes. What the fuck is wrong with him ? This is really not the moment to think about his attraction for the rustic sheriff. He has no problem thinking about it the rest of the day but right now is not the moment.

 

-I know you don’t like me saying it but you’re a good friend. More than that, even.

-Why would I not like you saying that ? 

 

Harry doesn’t say anything but even in the dark Albert knows he’s smiling. Minutes later, he’s sound asleep and Albert quietly exits the room, takes the stairs down, goes to bed. That night, the three of them sleep peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes hello they're sleeping without nightmares, at peace just by being each other, didn't I say there would be fluff ? Litteral fluff, or what's left of it in that damn armchair. 
> 
> Also that title chapter is ridiculously long


End file.
